कुन्तीम् अथ पुनः पाण्डुर् माद्र्यर्थे समचोदयत् ॥
तम् उवाच पृथा राजन् रहस्य् उक्ता सती सदा ॥
उक्ता सकृद् द्वन्द्वम् एषा लेभे तेनास्मि वञ्चिता ॥
बिभेम्य् अस्याः परिभवान् नारीणां गतिर् ईदृशी ॥
नाज्ञासिषम् अहं मूढा द्वन्द्वाह्वाने फलद्वयम् ॥
तस्मान् नाहं नियोक्तव्या त्वयैषो ऽस्तु वरो मम ॥
kuntīm atha punaḥ pāṇḍur mādryarthe samacodayat ||
tam uvāca pṛthā rājan rahasy uktā satī sadā ||
uktā sakṛd dvandvam eṣā lebhe tenāsmi vañcitā ||
bibhemy asyāḥ paribhavān nārīṇāṃ gatir īdṛśī ||
nājñāsiṣam ahaṃ mūḍhā dvandvāhvāne phaladvayam ||
tasmān nāhaṃ niyoktavyā tvayaiṣo 'stu varo mama ||
"Then Pandu again urged Kunti on Madri's behalf; but Pritha, O king, thus entreated in private, replied to him: 'I said "once" -- yet she obtained a pair; by that I have been deceived. I fear her ascendancy over me; such indeed is the way of women. I did not know, foolish that I was, that invoking a pair of Ashvins yields a double fruit. Therefore you must not press me to this again; let this be my request.'"
5a6d88e2b7ed · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:41:49 PM UTC
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Here the scripture reveals, with touching honesty, the human element in a great soul. It is telling that even the noble Kunti is not free of a jealous wariness: having yielded once, she fears that Madri, bearing yet more children, might surpass her in the number of sons. This is not condemnation but the scripture's candor, which does not conceal that even the saintly are subject to human feelings until fully purified. Telling, too, is her forthrightness: she openly admits both her fear and her own oversight ("foolish that I was"), without feigning dispassion. Thus the scripture presents a living, unembellished portrait of Kunti; and in her very weakness lies a lesson in humility: even the best must guard against jealousy, and an honest admission of it is worthier than a feigned dispassion.